Issue 149
December 2016
Revitalised Gegard Mousasi is prepared to come out guns blazing and take the UFC middleweight championship.
UFC Middleweight,
Alias: The Dreamcatcher,
Team: KOPS Gym,
Record: 47-7-2.
His reputation soared when he knocked out ‘Jacare’ Souza to win the Dream 185lb grand prix.
He became universally feared when he destroyed ‘Babalu’ Sobral in 60 seconds to win the Strikeforce title. But never has Gegard Mousasi’s stock been higher than it is right now.
Unleashed in the cage and on the microphone, the Dutchman is ranked higher than he ever has been in the UFC. He’s also built up a head of steam that’s made him confident of taking out his division’s other big hitters.
Mousasi had never quite lived up to expectations during his time in the Octagon. Some expected the same killer they’d seen when he broke through on the international scene in 2008. But the UFC is a different ball game, with its cast of elite combatants.
He’s also struggled to stand out in a sea of adolescent trash talk and posturing because of his stoic and sensible demeanor.
That all that changed after UFC 204, however, when Mousasi finally let go and put on a spirited performance in the post-fight press conference.
He made headlines for his comments about everyone from Anderson Silva to Conor McGregor.
But entertainment on the mic – something he’s always had in his back pocket – isn’t the only reason he’s earned more attention. He’s also proving he can take the middleweight division’s other leading contenders apart.
“I’m more outspoken now and I’m also a better fighter now than even when I won against Jacare,” he tells. “Back then I was fighting more just – fighting. Now, I understand everything. I was just thinking, ‘Go fight!’ Now, I’ve matured.”
The 31-year-old’s recent ascent has been notable for his aggression.
Once regarded by some fans as gun-shy, ‘The Dreamcatcher’ has obliterated his last two opponents by knockout.
He insists he hasn’t made more of an effort to finish fights than he did before, but his last two performances have been his most emphatic this decade.
First, he flattened Thiago Santos at UFC 200. Then he demolished MMA legend Vitor Belfort at UFC 204. The secret, he says, that old adage of ‘styles make fights’.
That’s why he admits his 2016 campaign has worked out better than the last time he tried to let it all hang out in the Octagon – flowing some pressure from the UFC.
“I fought Costa Philippou and got a decision, but I was fighting smart. I got a lot of crap,” he reveals “‘You should have finished him. Luke Rockhold finished him. Your standup is better.’ With that (said) the UFC (I said), ‘We’re gonna go kill Uriah Hall,’ and I was aggressive.
“I took him down and punished him. Second round, went straight at him because I thought I needed to make a statement – otherwise, no one cares. What happened? Kick in my face.”
That necessitated a change in approach. “After that, Thales Leites – I was cautious,” he admits. “I won with a dominant performance, so I went back to how I was fighting.
“At UFC 200, I wasn’t looking for the knockout. I was just fighting my fight and if the knockout comes, it comes. With Vitor Belfort, I don’t have to worry about takedowns. I can just go and be aggressive. If I take him down I’ll punish him. I can do whatever I want.”
That doesn’t mean he’ll swing for the fences from now on. Mousasi is happy with the recent adulation that’s coming his way, but he’s not going to put himself at risk just to stay in fans’ good graces.
“It depends on the opponent. I have no problems adjusting. I’m not going to change the way I’m going to fight just to entertain.
Against Uriah Hall, people got the chance to say, ‘He’s not good.’ I was trying to fight the way they want me to fight, be entertaining.
"Let’s say I fight smart. I wouldn’t have that loss, then at least they couldn’t talk s**t about me.”
Luckily for Mousasi fans, he anticipates a rematch will be different and he can entertain against the middleweights ranked immediately above him. At the time of this interview, he’s waiting to see how the division will work itself out at the end of the year.
But he expects to have to fight one of the top four contenders next, to earn the shot at the belt he feels he deserves in 2017.
With the exception of Jacare – who he considers a friend that he’ll only fight for the belt – he’s got a crowd-pleading strategy to take them all out.
“(Michael) Bisping, style-wise, is perfect for me. I would finish him or he’s not going to look good after five rounds. If I dominate, they don’t look good after the fight. I feel like I’d dominate or finish him,” Mousasi says.
“(Luke) Rockhold is perfect for me because he doesn’t really have takedowns. He doesn’t shoot, he’s a taller guy.
"I like taller guys because I can be aggressive. He’s a southpaw, which I don’t like a lot, but I’ve been training my whole life with southpaws. I like the Luke Rockhold fight.
“(Chris) Weidman is also good for me. I don’t think his wrestling is going to be effective against me. I feel like I can take him down.
"Yoel Romero is a bad matchup, but he gasses out. If I take that fight I have to have the right circumstance. I will have to go for a five-rounder.”
The consensus right now is that one of the current top-four contenders is destined to hold the 185lb championship next year, but maybe Gegard Mousasi, like Bisping before him, can come from the back of the pack to snatch the belt from under everyone’s noses. He has to the tools to do it.
CONOR CALL-OUT
Mousasi found the sure-fire method for getting some traction in MMA: beef with Conor McGregor. He hit headlines after a heated exchange on Twitter, but insists he was bemused by the situation.
“It’s because of him people are interested,” Mousasi exclaims. “I was surprised it was him calling me out. If we’re here alone, do you think he’s gonna talk s**t? I don’t think so.
“Probably if he’s here with his whole crew he’s gonna have a big mouth. But that’s Twitter. Let him be strong behind Twitter. Twitter is good for him.”
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